


Keep Coming Back

by SassySnowperson (DramaticEntrance)



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Found Family, Gen, Pre-Canon, That's Not How The Force Works, space adventures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-04 11:04:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18603247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaticEntrance/pseuds/SassySnowperson
Summary: Rey never expected that Han and Chewbacca would keep coming back.





	Keep Coming Back

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thedevilchicken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedevilchicken/gifts).



> Written for thedevilchicken, as a part of the May the 4th Be With You Fanworks Exchange! 
> 
> TDC, I loved your requests around Rey and Han and Chewbacca having Space Adventures, and I realized I was curious too, what would have happened if they had more time together. I hope you enjoy :) 
> 
> Many thanks to my betas, who found all the words I dropped, and cut the words I accidentally said twice. You rock.

_They're not coming._

Rey held her breath as she let that thought filter through her mind without immediately challenging it. They weren't coming, her mom and dad. They weren't coming for her. 

The thought settled in her mind, and to Rey's surprise, it wasn't unbearable. It didn't break her. It just sat there, feeling of truth, one more harsh fact in a harsh existence. Her parents weren't coming. She had grown from a child to an adult and they hadn't come. 

That didn't mean no one would. That didn't mean no one _had_. 

The familiar whine of tricked-out landing jets sounded through the shipyard, and the Millennium Falcon settled against the dust. The ramp hissed open, and two forms—one human, one wookiee, strode down the ramp.

"Kid!" Han called, as he got closer, jogging forward and scooping her up in a hug. "How you been?"

Rey hugged him back. "How long are you going to call me 'kid'? I wasn't a 'kid' when we met and I haven't managed to get any younger."

Han pulled back, clapping his hands along Rey's shoulders. "Forever," he informed her seriously. "There are smugglers in their fifties and I still call them kid, I wouldn't hold out any hope on that changin' anytime soon." 

Chewie rumbled a resigned affirmative and stole his own hug, petting Rey's hair slightly. 

"And what brings you to Jakku this time?" Rey asked, curious what his excuse would be. 

* * *

It hadn't been an excuse the first time, with Han swooping in and discussing within listening distance of anyone paying attention that he was Han Solo (legendary smuggler, all of Jakku would know who he was), and there was no way he was leaving Jakku without the rusted pile of garbage in Unkar's scrapyard, which was apparently the Millennium Falcon (legendary ship, all of Jakku knew its name too, and worth _much more_ than a random broken-down hauler). 

Rey did some quick math before stepping quickly up to his side and informing him that if he kept his mouth shut and let her handle the negotiations, she could get him the Falcon for three thousand credits, and she'd take a five hundred credit commission fee on top of that. 

Han had blustered around, before Rey pointed out that she could just tell Unkar what was going on, he'd pay her for the tip-off, and then Han would be out of luck. 

"We could just take the ship," Han snarled. "She's _my_ ship."

"Exactly! You're too invested. Let me handle the negotiation for you."

"How old are you?" Han asked. 

"Unkar knows me, and more importantly, I know Unkar. Look, I'll only ask for fifty creds up front." 

"Twenty-five," Han said briskly.

"Deal," Rey said, too quickly, but hopefully not at all like someone who had never even handled ten creds worth of hard currency before. Unkar paid in food, and everyone needed food too much to complain. 

Five hundred creds. With that...she might be able to set up her own trading station. Make someplace safe for herself until her parents came back. 

"Unkar!" Rey called as she approached his counter. 

"What have you brought me today?" Unkar asked, peering down at her empty hands. 

"A deal," Rey said, leaning in. "You know that scrap-heap of a light freighter you've got sitting in your junkyard? I've found a couple of marks looking at it. They're willing to pay two thousand creds. I know I can talk them up to two thousand five. I do that, you give me…" Rey tried to figure out how much would be greedy, but not overselling herself. "Fifteen portions." 

Unkar gave her a suspicious look. "Three thousand. If you can talk them into that, you'll have earned...ten portions." 

Rey screwed up her nose and did her best to look disappointed, instead of entirely smug. "Fine. Deal."

She honestly hadn't expected Han to honor the commission. But twenty-five credits and ten portions was a good day's work. So she was baffled to find herself at the foot of the Falcon's ramp, cradling in her hands five smooth hundred credit chips. 

"You did good work, kid." 

"Not a kid," Rey said, feeling like one as she looked up at the Falcon, realizing that this was the ship that had made the Kessel run in fourteen parsecs. 

"Yeah, she gets to you," Han said, a note of gruff affection in his voice. He reached out and patted the hull. 

"Can I see the inside?" Rey asked, flinching back almost immediately. That was too much, she should just take her credits and go— 

Han paused, looking at her. "You know what? We're going to be a couple hours, making sure nobody messed her up too much. Sure. I'll give you the tour."

The tour wound up being a lot of frustrated yelling at Unkar's "upgrades." Rey and Chewbacca ( _the Chewbacca_ , wookiee traders had spun stories of his adventures, Rey couldn't believe she was meeting him) followed Han around, and Rey got caught up in the spirit of things. Her credits wound up tucked in her best-hidden bag as she and Chewie debated rerouting airflow modifications. 

By the end of the day Rey had grease under her fingernails and a grin on her face. 

"Hey, wait…" Han held up a hand as he rummaged in his pockets. He emerged with two ten-credit pieces, which he tossed to Rey. 

Rey grabbed them, looking confused. "You paid up." 

"The commission, sure. Not for the repair work." Han shoved his hands in his pockets, looking up, to the left, anywhere but Rey, "You interested in getting off this rock? We...I've been thinking about bringing on another crew member. Hard to find someone who can keep up with Chewie, though. It'd be hard work. But…" 

Rey opened her mouth, desperate to say yes, to get the chance to fly with Han and Chewie, to chase the galaxy having adventures. But… "I really can't say how much that means to me. But I have to stay. I've got business here I can't do anywhere else." 

Han's face fell, and he inclined his head. "Well, may the Force be with you. And good luck." 

* * *

Rey certainly hadn't expected Han and Chewbacca to come _back_. But they had. They had come back with goods to trade, with things that needed patching, and (perhaps best of all) stories of the wider galaxy. She'd barter the goods and fix what was broken and listen to tale after tale of close calls and shady deals, mostly told by Han and punctuated by Chewbacca. 

And each time he'd ask, "You finish up your business yet?" 

And she had to say no, every time. Her parents hadn't found her. She couldn't leave. 

_They're not coming._

"Water reprocessor started giving us grief, it's cycle level is down twenty percent. Was hoping you could take a look at it," Han said, once Chewie released her from her hug. 

Rey took a deep breath. "I finished." 

Han blinked. "You haven't even started yet, the ship is—" 

"My business. Here. So, maybe you filled the position on your crew, but—" 

"Oh!" Han rolled his shoulders back, smile stretching across his face. "No. Still open. You interested?" 

"Yes." 

"Great. You got stuff to store? Let's get it." 

"The water reprocessor?" 

"You can look at it somewhere else. Let's get your stuff, and then let's get off this planet and never come back." 

Rey took a deep breath in, out, and smiled, feeling suddenly free. "Sounds perfect." 

* * *

Rey scrambled past the gunner station, yelling down to Chewbacca, "I've done what I can with the shields but we've got to take out their ion cannon!" 

Chewie growled his acknowledgement, swinging the chair around as his massive paws wrapped around the yoke. Rey skid into the cockpit, stumbling into the co-pilot's seat. 

"What took you so long?" Han growled. 

"I recalibrated our rear deflectors in thirty seconds! I'd like to see you do better!" Rey retorted as she started pulling up the navigation options. "But even if we handle that cruiser there's three more. We need to get out of here." 

"No." Han's voice was heavy with sarcasm. "I thought we'd stay for a picnic." 

"While I do love sandwiches, I think our present company"—the Falcon gave a terrifying shudder—"may leave something to be desired. Dive when I say so."

"I'm the Captain!"

Rey ignored him, watching the viewport. "Now!" 

Han threw the ship into a dive, and a snubfighter went screaming over the canopy. Rey blasted it with the forward cannons and gave a wild whoop when it burst into flame. 

"Nice," Han allowed, as he threw the Falcon into a vertical spin that was showier than it needed to be, turbolaser fire chasing the ship, trying to find a lock. 

"Han," Rey flew through the calculations for hyperspace, "remember when you said, hey, it'd be a good idea to just run a quick blockade." 

"Is now really the time?" Han muttered. 

"And then I said, yes, what a good plan." 

"We're getting shot at. Don't know if you've noticed." 

"Oh wait, no," Rey continued, undaunted, "I didn't say that. I said, have you lost every spare bit of sense that you own? Those are the Zygan Star Raiders, their ships are fast, well-armored, with very good sensors!" 

"Are you even running the hyperspace calculations?" 

"Thirty seconds. But then you insisted, no! We can make more money smuggling entertainment holodiscs past that blockade than we could make smuggling pure spice somewhere else." 

"We did!" 

Rey paused. "Well, yes. But the funny thing about money—you can't spend it if you've gotten yourself blown up!"

"This is the longest damn thirty seconds of my—" 

"Here." Rey threw the route up on the screen, Han yanked them into hyperspace, and the Zygan Star Raiders vanished behind them. 

"See. Now we're rich and it was fine," Han said, folding his arms and looking over at her. 

Rey snorted. "Bet we have to spend at least half the take in ship repairs."

Chewie growled over the intercom that it was no bet. 

Han started arguing with Chewie, and Rey rolled her shoulders, shaking off the tension that had tightened them in battle. It had been close the whole fight; teetering along the razor wire tightrope between victory and disaster. But she had been flying with Han and Chewie long enough that she was beginning to suspect that the knife-edge between success and failure was just where the two of them lived. 

As Han and Chewie continued their traditional after-action sniping, Rey started musing that she might be getting _too_ used to risks Han and Chewie took. She suspected that scavenging on Jakku had already aligned her sense of danger oddly. This couldn't be helping. 

As she mused, she stared down at the hyperspace lever. They were nowhere near their route completion, but she had the strangest urge to pull it. Drop them out in the middle of nowhere. Their route was already a twisty thing, avoiding the major lanes, just in case the Zygan's got any bright ideas about finding them on the other side of their jump. Dropping out of hyperspace now would be utterly pointless. 

The urge to pull the lever mounted, going from idle to pressing in the span of seconds. Rey shook her head. This wasn't like her, and it made her nervous, she opened her mouth to say something just as the urge went from pressing to irresistible, pulling the lever suddenly the thing that the entire universe wanted her to do, of all the infinite actions she could possibly take this was the only thing she could possibly do. The only thing that— 

"What the—?" Han said, as the Falcon gave a sudden sickening lurch and dropped out of hyperspace. 

Rey pulled her hand away from the lever slowly, her eyes fixed on the planet hanging in front of her. Green and blue from space, mostly blue. 

"That wasn't on the route." Han sounded somewhere between stunned and angry. "How'd you know that was there?" 

Rey blinked at the planet. It shouldn't be there. It should be an impossibility, with all the vast tracts of black along a route, to drop out close to _anything_ , much less a verdant looking planet. "I...I don't know. I had a feeling?"

"A feeling," Han said flatly.

"Yes, I just....we _needed_ to drop out of hyperspace." Rey flattened her lips, looking for a less ridiculous explanation. "Maybe there's something going on with the Falcon? And I picked up on it? We should set down and run a diagnostic." 

"Listen, kid, if there was something going on with the Falcon, I'd be the one to pick up on it. After all, this ship and I have been flying—" 

There was a sparking noise, and the ship shuddered and the smell of something acrid filled the air. 

Rey ducked her head, widening her eyes in an expression that looked innocent, but Han should know well enough to read as smug.

"Yeah, yeah," Han grumbled as he pointed the ship toward the planet. "Guess we'll see if there's any trade in this backwater." 

There wasn't any trade on the backwater. There wasn't much of anything at all, just a string of rocky islands and a lot of windswept ocean. Still, it was safer to work on the ship if it wasn't the only thing between them and the cold vacuum of space, so they took the ship down. Han grumbled the whole time. 

"I think it's beautiful," Rey said, her eyes darting around the water. There was so _much_ of it. 

"You don't know any better," Han said, and Rey could hear the affection in his tone. 

She smiled, never taking her eyes off the ocean. 

* * *

It turned out that the starboard sensor array was hit. This wouldn't normally be an issue; the port sensor array would just need to be realigned to compensate until its twin could be replaced. But it turned out that, because the Falcon was an engineering nightmare (masterpiece, Rey's mind corrected automatically in Han's voice) the starboard sensor array was the only thing protecting one of the water recycling lines. 

The water recycling line wasn't damaged itself by the blast, but it did have about half of its insulation blown off, and the rest was exposed to vacuum. As vacuum is traditionally _very cold_ , the result of this was that the pipe froze, and burst, sending little ice shards everywhere. 

The ice wasn't really destructive at first, aside from the burst pipe. But as the shards tumbled deeper into the ship—near all the hot warm machinery—things really started to get interesting. The ice melted, and machines, which weren't big fans of water, started shorting. 

The good news was that this was all highly fixable. The bad news was that whoever was fixing it was going to need to spend a lot of time on the roof of the Falcon, dangling upside-down, half inside the guts of the ship. 

"Sorry, kid, seniority rules," Han said, handing her a plasma welder with an insincere look of sympathy. "Maybe in another thirty years or so we'll pick up a new crew member and they can be stuck with these jobs." 

Rey took the plasma welder with one hand and made a brief hand gesture with her other hand that implied very unsavory things about his sexual future. Han grinned and responded with a gesture that managed to insult both Rey's hygiene and her intelligence. Rey laughed as she left, shaking her head and making her way up to the roof. 

It wasn't so bad, really. Rey was the best choice, Chewie was too big and Han was too old. She was tempted to tell him this, but she knew that would just lead to him _insisting_ that he do it, and it really wouldn't be good on his back. 

Rey traced along the water damage and started soldering the shorted out connections. It was deft work, it needed a light touch. Rey fell into nostalgia, she had lost track of the number of circuits she had reconnected in order to sell her salvage for a little more. It was almost pleasant, the wind a nice chill, the smell of salt thick in the air, cries of waterbirds sounding. It was peaceful. 

"Seriously?" a voice shattered the peace. 

Rey felt herself tense. That wasn't Han. She was stuck halfway in the ship and she needed to get _out, now._ She fought to keep from jerking free—all that would accomplish was whacking her head into the guts of the Falcon—instead carefully easing her way out. 

"You're just going to sit there?" the voice snarled, sounding angry. "You come all this way, and you're—"

Rey wiggled faster, gasping for air as her head popped free. She fumbled her blaster (she wasn't an amazing shot yet but it was better than nothing) out of its holster, holding it by her hip as she scanned the area, stopping when she finally found...a hermit? 

The man looked human, was dressed in clean white and grey robes, a neat contrast to his wild grey-blond hair and beard. He was halfway between neglect and care, and he was blinking at her with confusion. "You're not Han." 

"No, he's—" Rey started. 

"Luke!" Han screamed, his voice as raw as Rey had ever heard it, as he went barreling down the ramp and wrapped the confused looking man up in a hug. 

As Rey watched the man stiffened, then shuddered, then broke. "Han," Luke said, barely a whisper, as he wrapped his arms around Han in return. 

* * *

"He's been missing for how long?" Rey asked Chewie, as they walked along the rocky shore. 

Luke had started crying, then Han had started crying, and Chewie, after stroking both their heads affectionately, had reached up and helped Rey off the Falcon. He had gently tugged her away from the crying, hugging men, and for once, Rey let her curiosity take a backseat to privacy. 

Chewie gave a contemplative rumble. 

"That's a long time. I can't believe Han's been looking for him all this time..." 

Chewie barked a short huff. 

"It still counts, even if he gets distracted," Rey chided him. She glanced back over her shoulder, at the ship in the distance, and decided they were far enough away. She turned back to the ocean, facing the waves. "It makes me realize how little I really know about him. About both of you." 

Rey heard Chewie walk up behind her, then furry brown arms wrapped themselves around her, Chewie rumbling reassuringly into her hair. 

Rey reached up and squeezed Chewie's forearms. "I know. You guys kept coming back to Jakku, of all places. Of course you cared. Care. But I've sort of...gotten used to you both? You're my crew. And now _Luke Skywalker_ , who I thought was a legend, is an old friend of yours. It's a little disorienting," Rey said, in a studied understatement. 

Chewie squeezed her and for a while they both sat staring at the ocean. There was something calming about waves. Eventually, Chewie rumbled something thoughtful. 

Rey pushed her way out of his hug. "What do you mean, I'm the one that found him?" 

Chewie emphatically gestured to the sky, the Falcon, and then to Rey. 

Rey swallowed, remembering the feeling that she _had to pull the lever_. "That was just luck." 

A short huff was the only response Chewie bothered to that statement. 

"What's the other option?" 

Chewie gave her a flat look. 

Rey folded her arms. "What, you think I'm...one of him?" 

Chewie shrugged. 

Rey shook her head, thoughts tumbling over on each other. She couldn't be special. It had to just be luck. Because if—if it was...if it turned out this whole time—

"I spent so long by myself on Jakku," Rey said softly, crouching down by the shoreline, grabbing a stone. She stood, turning the stone over in her hand. "I convinced myself I was special," she said, staring at the black rock. "I wasn't abandoned. My parents still cared. Someone was coming for me. But they weren't." 

Old pain flared in her chest—grief at being alone when she should have had protectors. With an angry grunt, Rey heaved the stone into the ocean. 

Chewie gave a thoughtful arf, as he bent to pick up his own stone. 

Rey smiled. "I guess you're right. You guys did come for me. But I didn't let myself go with you. I couldn't. Not until I had let go of this feeling that there was something I was waiting for." 

Chewie reached over and pushed her shoulder, an affectionate gesture that nearly knocked her over. 

"Yes!" Rey laughed as she fought to keep from tipping. "I'm glad I did too! But...you both are my future. I don't like the idea that some guiding power is trying to point me towards a different one." 

Chewie asked a pointed question, tossing his stone up in the air and catching it. 

"Both? What would that even look like?" 

Chewie shrugged, before giving a short bark and throwing his stone too. It sailed far past where Rey's had splashed, and he gave a satisfied chortle. 

"Oh," Rey said grinning as she started to hunt for another good smooth rock herself, "You're on." 

* * *

In the end, it was a rainstorm that finally drove them back to the Falcon. Chewie stalked up the ramp in a sodden irritated grump. Rey hesitated at the foot of the ramp, head tipped up to the sky. Rain fell in fat drops and splashed against her face. She laughed. It hadn't stopped feeling like a miracle. 

"You're going to catch your death of cold!" Han appeared in the doorway. "Get in here." 

"You know," Rey said as she walked up the ramp, deliberately putting a damp hand squarely in the middle of Han's chest. "If Jakku couldn't kill me, it's highly unlikely that a bit of rain is going to do the job." 

"You're going to get sick, and I'm going to laugh," Han said, reaching for the ramp controls. 

"You wouldn't." 

"He would." Luke was huddled in the booth, his elbows on the table. 

Rey licked her lips, not entirely certain how to interact with a legend come to life. She settled for a short wave. "Well, he might laugh, but he'd also make me soup." 

"Soup? Kid, I have never made anyone soup in my life." 

"Liar," Rey shot back. "You made me soup when that bounty hunter bruised up my ribs." 

"Chewie made you soup." Han folded his arms and looked away. "I just brought it to you." 

"Uh-huh." 

"Anyway, Rey, this is Luke, he'll be coming with us." 

"Han..." Luke said tiredly. 

"Kid," Han said softly, and Rey blinked, before realizing it was pointed at Luke, "Think there's any version of the story where I leave without you? Come on. I've always been bad at leaving you behind."

Luke looked like he was about to cry again. "Han, I..." Luke glanced up, his eyes finding Han, and as Rey watched, all the fight left him. "Okay."

* * *

As Rey finished the soldering, Han and Chewie went with Luke to go grab his stuff. Rey got the feeling that Han was a little suspicious that Luke would find some way to run away if he could, despite the Falcon being the only way on or off the island that Rey could see. She finished before they got back, and moved on to repairing the water pipe. And the insulation. 

And they still weren't back. 

Rey was beginning to worry that Luke had managed to run away despite everything. Or maybe he had more stuff than they had expected? Rey grabbed a pack, slung it along her back, and trekked up the same hill that Han and Luke and Chewie had, hours earlier. She didn't find the three of them. Instead she found a land fish. It looked irritated, and it was wearing clothes. Sapient grumpy land fish. Okay. 

"Do you know where the other humans went?" Rey asked. 

The land fish gurbled in her direction, then turned and started walking up yet another hill. Rey sighed and followed. They wound through a stone village, where more of the land fish dotted the scenery. They were sweeping, cooking, chatting, and generally living their lives. Rey started to feel guilty about calling them land fish, and decided to switch to 'locals.' They were certainly more local than Luke. 

They kept walking, until the local that was leading her arrived at a massive hollowed out tree. Creepy. Perfect place for a hermit. 

"Thanks," Rey told the local, nodding, before stepping past them into the arched opening. "Han?" she called into the darkness. When she didn't get an answer, she stepped into the opening. It was dark, a narrow band of sunlight the only illumination. It stretched across a pile of books, sitting on a small table. There was barely enough space to stand. Luke hadn't been living here. 

Rey sighed and turned to leave, only to yelp when she found exit was blocked by a human she didn't recognize. He had short hair and a short beard, he was wearing Jedi robes, he would have been very dignified looking had he not also been a ghost. 

Rey stumbled backward.

"Careful," the man said lightly. "I won't hurt you, but I don't think I can stop you from hurting yourself."

Rey caught herself on the small table. She glanced back down at the books. Of all the reasons a ghost could show up... "The books are safe, I'm not going to touch them. Are they yours?" 

"A very logical question. But one with a difficult answer. Yes and no. They are the sacred texts of the Jedi Order, essential to its founding. I was a Jedi, so in that sense, they are mine. But they are far more important than any one Jedi can lay claim to." 

"Ah. Interesting." Rey bit her lip as she stared at the books. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm just looking for Luke and Han so we can leave. It's been very nice talking with you Mister...?" 

"So polite to a ghost," the man said with amusement. "Kenobi. Obi-Wan Kenobi. I was Luke's first teacher." Obi-Wan looked sad. "He learned some lessons from me more thoroughly than I intended him to. And didn't learn others. He isn't going to want to teach you." 

"Why would he teach me?" Rey asked. "I'm just a scavenger turned smuggler." The memory of the inexorable pull of the hyperspace lever drifted in her mind again. She dismissed it. 

Obi-Wan raised an insubstantial eyebrow. "Quite," he said. "Well, smuggler. I suggest you smuggle these books off of the island. They're Luke's if they belong to anyone, and he doesn't want them."

Rey tilted her head. "That makes them salvage, not cargo." 

"Well then, scavenger, it sounds like this covers both your trades. Also, look under the table, there's a little hollow. Yes, there, good." 

Rey pulled her hand back, an unfamiliar metal cylinder resting in it. "What's this?" 

"It is a lightsaber. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age," Obi-Wan answered, a lilt in his tone that made him sound as if he were quoting something. "You may find you need it." 

Well that sounded ominous. But she was in a creepy tree with a ghost, so it felt oddly appropriate. "Thank...you? But I'm not learning any of this. I've got a life-plan already." 

Obi-Wan inclined his head. "A student who doesn't want to be taught, and a teacher that doesn't want to teach. This should be interesting." 

Rey snorted as she slung her pack off her back and started packing books into it. "Wrong on both counts. I'm already learning, from someone who's more than willing to teach me. I'm happy." 

"That's good. May you learn your lessons well. I must say, I'm glad to see you're taking the texts anyway."

Rey shrugged. "Lifetime of scavenging builds habits that are hard to break. They might be useful." Rey considered tossing the lightsaber in on top, figured that might cause problems if it accidentally went off, so she tucked it in on her belt. 

"Indeed it might. Safe travels, Rey." 

"I never told you my name."

"I'm a ghost that appeared to you in the middle of a sacred tree. Are you really surprised that I knew your name?" 

Rey tipped her head, acknowledging the point. "Good point. Well…" Rey paused, not certain how to say goodbye to a ghost. "It was nice meeting you?"

Obi-Wan smiled, and slowly faded away. 

Rey huffed. Well, that was one way to get out of a conversation. She shouldered the pack and made her way back down (and down, and down) to the Falcon. 

* * *

"Well, I see you managed not to drown yourself," Han said, and Rey could hear the worry hiding behind the bluster. "What's the big idea, disappearing right when we're about to leave?" 

Rey shrugged. "You were taking forever. I went to go find you. One of the locals took me to a massive tree instead. It took me awhile to get back." 

"That's the original uneti tree," Luke said, walking into the main area from the back room. "It's sacred, and ancient." 

"Good to know?" 

Luke straightened, looking serious. "Han told me about your...about how you found me. I feel we need to address something now. I will never teach another Jedi." 

His words carried sorrow and finality. Behind Luke, Rey could see Han flinch, and she wondered what she was missing. She considered pressing, but figured if it was really important, Han would tell her. 

Well, Chewie would tell her, at least.

Rey shrugged. "I think it was just a coincidence. I'm not looking for teaching, unless you have any tips for unlocking grav-seals. Those give me trouble." 

Luke's brow furrowed, and he glanced over at Han. 

Han shrugged. "I've never been great with grav-seals either, I just use explosives." 

"But…she pulled a lever and dropped you out of hyperspace right above my planet." 

"And how lucky was that," Han said, his lips flattened. "You're not stealing my second mate, Luke." 

"I don't—I'm not a teacher, but you have to admit—"

"She's smart, and I found her first." 

"Relax, Han, I'm not going anywhere." Rey pushed past Luke to make her way to the cockpit. "We're going to need to replace the starboard sensor array at the next stop." 

"Is that—" Luke sounded strangled. "You're _wearing my lightsaber_!" 

Rey flashed a quick vicious grin at Han, before turning slowly with an expression of innocence and looking down at the hilt on her belt. "Oh. I found it in the tree. Did you want it back?" 

She turned and winked at Han before taking his elbow and leading them both back to the cockpit.

"You just found it," Luke said flatly as he followed them. "It was very well hidden. Because I was never going to pick it back up again." 

"Well," Rey fought down giggles, "I did have a ghost help me. Serious looking fellow. Went by the name Obi-Wan." 

Luke stumbled behind her. "You're telling me the ghost of Obi-Wan led you to my old lightsaber. And you don't find anything unusual about that?" 

"I figured he went with the tree?" Rey waved a dismissive hand. 

"The Force is—" Luke paused, and Rey darted a glance back at him, very amused to find a horrified expression on his face. "No! I'm not doing this!" 

"And I'm not asking you to! Honestly, Luke, you just need to let this one go." Rey glanced over at Han, fighting down a grin at the amusement crinkling in the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah, Luke," Han said, "you're really stuck on this."

Luke spluttered and left the cockpit, and Rey allowed herself a couple giggles as she pulled up the navigation data. 

"The ghost of—where do you come up with this stuff?" 

"He really did show up," Rey said, some of the humor falling off her. "He thinks Luke should teach me." 

"Oh. Well that's…" Han's face ran through several contortions, before settling on something neutral. "Huh." 

"I don't care, though," Rey said firmly. "If the ghost of Luke's old teacher wanted me to learn the Force so much, he should have come to Jakku himself. You're the one that came. I'm sticking with you." 

Han was blinking back some emotion. He reached over and laid a hand on Rey's shoulder. "I'm glad you came with us." 

Rey ducked her head, smiling past her own suddenly surging emotions. "Me too." She shook her head, clearing her throat. "Well, I think that's enough sentimentality out of us for the next four years or so. Where to, boss?" 

Han coughed a laugh, settling back into the pilots seat. "Anywhere we want, the galaxy is ours!" 

"Perfect," Rey said. "Let's go."

**Author's Note:**

> Of course, you KNOW that like, three seconds after that grand adventure Chewie comes into the cockpit and is like [[That's nice and all but we just found Luke we need to take him to Leia now or she is gonna MURDER YOU.]]
> 
> And then who knows what happens next? I sort of love that with this AU you have a Rey that doesn't want to learn the Force, and a Luke that doesn't want to teach it. Does the ghost of Obi-Wan mope around after them until Rey learns something just to make him go away? Does Leia take one look at Rey and go "cool, no, you need training right now"? Or does Rey out-stubborn the lot of them and the Sequel Trilogy events take place but Rey solves all the problems with Smuggler Thinking rather than Force Powers? 
> 
> I...hm. That last option is really tempting. :D 
> 
> Anyway, in case you can't tell, I had a lot of fun writing this, I hope you all have had a lot of fun reading it, and May the 4th be with you all!


End file.
